Hairy Crazy Ants are infesting Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. The small reddish brown ants invade by the millions and an opportunistic nester. There are reports that some people were forced to leave their home because of the crazy ants.
They crawl rapidly and erratically forming loose foraging trails as well as forage randomly (non-trailing) (hence the description “crazy” ant). Imagine a fast forward video of picnic ants marching, that’s how extremely fast they are. The ants are about 1/8 inch long and are covered with reddish-brown hairs.
It is believed that crazy ants came from the Caribbean and made their way into the U.S. on cargo containers. They’ve become known as “Caribbean crazy ants” and later “Rasberry crazy ants” after the exterminator Tom Rasberry.
This ant species is an opportunistic nester displacing all other ant species in areas of heavy infestation. They build many nests and live in large colonies or groups of colonies and they have many queen ants.
Hairy crazy ants rarely bite but it is hard to kill all of them. When the ants are killed, they excrete chemicals from the end of their abdomen which signals other crazy ants to attack and the destroyed colony are then replaced by a new colony.
They could cause great annoyance to residents and businesses. They can accumulate in electrical equipment which can cause short circuits when they chew through insulation. When an ant gets electrocuted, other ants rush in resulting in a large ball of ants causing equipment failure.
yuck!
saddam!
"A large ball of ants causing equipment failure." I can just see that on a technician's report.
it is hard to kill all of them. When the ants are killed, they excrete chemicals from the end of their abdomen which signals other crazy ants to attack and the destroyed colony are then replaced by a new colony.
Yuck!
oh sorry those are my ants..